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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Is it fair to rate a book that the author half lit on fire and has been pieced back together only after his death? Probably not, but the destroyed ending shows and was a chore to get through. The start, though, was delightful and witty: many caricatures of Russian men (and even a very few women) doing little comedy bits together as the mystery of the Dead Souls unfolds. In a book club series of Russian literature, it was refreshing to.movw past "Byronic" heroes into the differently flawed Tchitchikov.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Loved this book. The missing sections are unfortunate. A con man comes to town…from the perspective of the con man. I loved Gogol’s Overcoat story so much that I’d wanted to read this for years.
I am fairly new to Russian literature only reading a handful of books so far. This was really fun. I don't think I've read a book from this time period quite like it.
The humour was really great and I found myself laughing out loud at times. Loved it.
The humour was really great and I found myself laughing out loud at times. Loved it.
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
I had very high hopes for Gogol because he came highly praised and recommended by people who have read him. But, sadly I did not get it.
It is obvious the reason why he's buying dead souls but it is kept like a secret, and then its too wordy and repetitive, so I skimmed through the whole book
This book put me in a reading slump
It is obvious the reason why he's buying dead souls but it is kept like a secret, and then its too wordy and repetitive, so I skimmed through the whole book
This book put me in a reading slump
The first volume is a gem!
Gogol describes such intricacies of Russian culture, people, the littlest of things be it an inn, a barouche, an estate, a village, a character’s looks or their clothes. They are described in a way that they can be vividly imagined. Even the expressions and emotions are written so that the reader can deeply feel what the characters are feeling. The satire is extremely good. The casual way of describing bribery, wrong doings and bureaucracy hits the hardest.
Second volume looses its charm
In the second part our protagonist seems way different from where we started in the first part. Sudden changes in behaviour and trying to do something good doesn’t make sense. It seems that protagonist struggles constantly on deciding what to do with his life. The abrupt change of heart of the governor to forgive Chichikov also didn’t sit well with me. But but but after all, Gogol has written it and the way everything was described again was amazing!
It would have been a gift to the literary world if Gogol were able to finish the trilogy, like he had planned.
I enjoyed reading the first volume a lot more than the second one.
Gogol describes such intricacies of Russian culture, people, the littlest of things be it an inn, a barouche, an estate, a village, a character’s looks or their clothes. They are described in a way that they can be vividly imagined. Even the expressions and emotions are written so that the reader can deeply feel what the characters are feeling. The satire is extremely good. The casual way of describing bribery, wrong doings and bureaucracy hits the hardest.
Second volume looses its charm
In the second part our protagonist seems way different from where we started in the first part. Sudden changes in behaviour and trying to do something good doesn’t make sense. It seems that protagonist struggles constantly on deciding what to do with his life. The abrupt change of heart of the governor to forgive Chichikov also didn’t sit well with me. But but but after all, Gogol has written it and the way everything was described again was amazing!
It would have been a gift to the literary world if Gogol were able to finish the trilogy, like he had planned.
I enjoyed reading the first volume a lot more than the second one.
3,5⭐️
Herrlich spritzige Satire
Gott und Teufel beehren uns gefühlt in jedem 3. Satz
Alle korrupt, lügen bis sich die Balken biegen, viel Geschleime und beeindruckende Anpassungsfähig, Dekadenz, Müßiggang und harte Knute, alles am Start. Frauen scheinen nur für die Optik und zum Nachkommen gebären sinnvoll zu sein. Taugen ja nicht mal als Tote Seelen. Da ist es um so amüsanter, dass ausgerechnet die Weibsbilder unseren Betrüger ans Messer liefern.
Mir hat tatsächlich die zweite Hälfte deutlich besser gefallen, auch der unvollständige und nicht überarbeitete 2. Teil.
Die erste Hälfte hätte aus meiner Sicht ordentlich gekürzt werden können. Da war durchbeißen angesagt.
Stellenweise ist mir der Humor zu klamaukig.
Störend bzw. gewöhnungsbedürftig die Selbstreflektionen des Autors über das eigene Schreiben, was der Leser nun denken möge und die direkte Ansprache des Lesers.
Herrlich spritzige Satire
Gott und Teufel beehren uns gefühlt in jedem 3. Satz
Alle korrupt, lügen bis sich die Balken biegen, viel Geschleime und beeindruckende Anpassungsfähig, Dekadenz, Müßiggang und harte Knute, alles am Start. Frauen scheinen nur für die Optik und zum Nachkommen gebären sinnvoll zu sein. Taugen ja nicht mal als Tote Seelen. Da ist es um so amüsanter, dass ausgerechnet die Weibsbilder unseren Betrüger ans Messer liefern.
Mir hat tatsächlich die zweite Hälfte deutlich besser gefallen, auch der unvollständige und nicht überarbeitete 2. Teil.
Die erste Hälfte hätte aus meiner Sicht ordentlich gekürzt werden können. Da war durchbeißen angesagt.
Stellenweise ist mir der Humor zu klamaukig.
Störend bzw. gewöhnungsbedürftig die Selbstreflektionen des Autors über das eigene Schreiben, was der Leser nun denken möge und die direkte Ansprache des Lesers.